Known primarily as a children's author, Erich Kästner was also
one of the leading lights of Berlin culture during the Weimar
Republic. His satirical poetry and prose captured the essence of
the times both politically and socially. Present at the 1933 book
burnings when his own works were thrown into the flames, Kästner
survived the “Third Reich” relatively unscathed, and although he
received numerous literary honours during the post-war period, he
did not produce anything approaching his masterworks of the
1920s.

Erich Kästner was born in Dresden on 23 February 1899 to Ida and
Emil Kästner. His father, a leatherworker, and his mother, a maid
and hairdresser, had a difficult marriage, and Kästner developed an
extremely …

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Citation:
Skidmore, James M.. "Erich Kästner".
The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 29 November 2007
[http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=11872, accessed 31 March 2015.]

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11872Erich Kästner1Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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